Chiefs one win away from another Super Bowl as Kelce dominates Texans

[ad_1] Patrick Mahomes threw for 177 yards and a landing, most of it going to greatest buddy Travis Kelce, and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs beat the Houston Texans 23-14 to advance to the AFC championship recreation for the seventh consecutive season.

With girlfriend Taylor Swift watching alongside WNBA star Caitlin Clark from a set, Kelce had seven catches for 117 yards and a rating, serving to the Chiefs (16-2) maintain alive their dream of successful an unprecedented third consecutive Tremendous Bowl title.

Taylor Swift celebrates as her accomplice Travis Kelce scores his landing. ( Getty Photographs: David Eulitt )

The Chiefs are the fourth workforce in NFL historical past to comply with back-to-back Lombardi Trophies by advancing to the convention title recreation, and the three earlier groups went on to lose.

Kansas Metropolis will attempt to change that pattern at Arrowhead Stadium subsequent weekend in opposition to the Payments or Ravens, who play Monday morning (AEDT) in Buffalo for a shot at dethroning the defending champs.

Mahomes improved 16-3 within the play-offs, tying Joe Montana for the second-most wins in NFL historical past behind Tom Brady, and he's 7-0 within the divisional spherical. Mahomes additionally helped Andy Reid grow to be the fourth NFL coach with 300 profession wins.

In the meantime, the Texans (11-8) nonetheless have by no means gained in six divisional video games. Twice they've misplaced to Kansas Metropolis.

Houston quarterback CJ Stroud threw for 245 yards however was sacked eight instances. Joe Mixon, who had been questionable to play with an ankle harm, caught a few passes whereas operating for 88 yards and a landing.

Texans kicker Kai'imi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard discipline purpose try, an extra-point strive, and had one other discipline purpose try blocked with 1:46 left, which might have saved Houston's comeback hopes alive by making it a one-possession recreation.

In reality, the Texans' particular groups have been a multitude proper from the beginning. The Chiefs almost opened the sport with a kick-off return for a landing, a weird sequence throughout which heated Houston cornerback Kris Boyd almost shoved his personal coach to the bottom.

The Texans held Kansas Metropolis to a few discipline targets early, however their defence was unable to cease them late within the first half, when the bruising Kareem Hunt barrelled into the top zone to provide the AFC West champions a 13-3 lead.

Houston managed a 48-yard discipline purpose by way of chilly, swirling winds to make it a one-possession recreation on the break, and that late kick appeared to have revived the AFC South champions once they returned to the sphere for the second half.

Stroud deftly led them on a 15-play, 82-yard drive that soaked up a lot of the third quarter, choosing up all 4 of their third-down conversions, together with one through which the quarterback scrambled to the sideline and absorbed a depraved hit. Mixon completed the drive with a 13-yard run, however Fairbairn's further level that will have tied the sport was blown broad proper.

That miss simply may need swung the momentum the opposite method.

Simply as they've so usually in successful their final eight play-off video games, the Chiefs responded with a time-consuming drive of their very own. Mahomes linked with Kelce 4 instances on the 81-yard march, together with the 11-yard landing move to his trusty tight finish because the two-time NFL MVP was getting dragged to the turf by Houston's Mario Edwards Jr.

The Texans had two alternatives to drive for a tying landing. However the first drive ended when Stroud was sacked by George Karlaftis on fourth down close to midfield with about 10 minutes left. The second was stopped when Stroud misfired on back-to-back passes and Houston was pressured to punt the ball away with simply over seven minutes to go.